If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

As an update, I downloaded DraftSight. The software is pretty easy to use (compared to AutoCad). When marking in ceiling speakers, I create a circle and it asks the radius of the circle. You type it in and it scales to the scale of the CAD drawing. I needed to show the individual rooms on 8.5" x 11" paper. The software allows you to print a window that can be selected. Then you can fill it to the paper size you want. The presentation came out really nice and the customer could get a real good feel for what he is getting.

OK, I have solved my problem. The best software that I could find was Draftsight. Best of all, ITS FREE! This is a dumbed down version of Autocad, but much easier to use. The only issue that I had is that it does not import .pdf files, only .dwg (cad) files. I have played with conversion programs but haven't found one that works that well. I would love a converstion program that I can add the scale of the .pdf and it will automatically turn it into a .dwg.

I take it all back. Draftsight was not as easy to use as I thought. Check out floorplanner.com You can import jpg and other background images (not pdf). You can create a scale, tons of A/V tags, etc. Very affordable, free demo account to play with

You are all going to laugh, but I truly found the best software for this application....Wait for it....Adobe Acrobat! There is a "Stamp" option where you can create your own stamps, put them into categories (Audio, Video, IT, etc) and make stamps! It is perfect and FREE!

Just as a follow up. The problem with Adobe Acrobat is that the free version does not allow you to "flatten" the image. This allows the stamps to be permanently installed on the PDF. I went back to the drawing board. I downloaded a number of free versions of various softwares, but the one that worked the best is Quoppa PDF Studio. https://www.qoppa.com/pdfstudio/
I can make stamps out of various image formats, folders for the stamps, and can rotate the stamps. All things I needed. Finally, my search is complete and it only cost $89.

Posting Permissions

Please support HomeTheaterEquipment.com by purchasing your AV gear (or any other stuff) via Amazon.com. We get a few bucks here and there, which helps us create more and more top-level reviews and content for you to enjoy on all of our sites!